Some Happy Tails speak right to the heart, and the story of Kiko is one such case. Rescued from an unhappy past, this sweet dog found a kindred spirit in his adopter, Carlos. Together, they helped each other heal while uncovering new depths of love and companionship. Here is their story.

When Kiko arrived at the local city shelter in New York City, he was suffering from pneumonia, diarrhea and bites that appeared to be from another dog. It was clear that he needed advanced care, so the ASPCA stepped in and transferred the two-year-old pit bull to our Animal Hospital in the Upper East Side. He remained there for an entire month, until he was strong enough to be transferred to the ASPCA Adoption Center. Having moved from shelter to hospital to adoption center, sweet Kiko was more than ready to find a permanent home.

Meanwhile, Carlos, who lives in Queens, was coming out of a very similar situation. “I had just spent ten months in a shelter myself,” he says. “I felt I needed to help better someone else’s life, and I decided to adopt a dog because I wanted a loving companion.”

Carlos’s family had always adopted dogs from shelters or foster homes, so he knew that the ASPCA was a great place to begin his search for a pet. The minute he met Kiko, it was a perfect fit. “I knew he was the dog for me because our personalities just matched. He was energetic, relaxed, very affectionate and attentive,” he recalls. “Plus,” he says with a wink, “It turned out that someone was a ‘pound dog’ like me.”

On May 14, Carlos adopted Kiko and the two of them began their new life together. Kiko is on a gentle diet to help with his gastrointestinal issues, and Carlos is helping him forget his painful past. “He came from an abusive background and he gets frightened easily,” he says, “But we’re working on that every day.” The twosome likes to snuggle and take “corny photos” together, and Carlos says, “Kiko’s adjusted perfectly to living at home.”

Although they didn’t know it until the day they met, Carlos and Kiko’s stories were uncannily similar. But both made it out of a shelter and into a loving home, and together, their future is brighter than ever. Congratulations to them both this happy new life!